When Virtua Fighter hit the arcades, jaws dropped. The fighters lacked any true definition by today's visual standards, but this was in 3D. Over time, the series evolved into the most demanding of brawlers. The button-mashing of Dead or Alive and Soul Calibur did you no good in Virtua Fighter. You needed to know your combos, fight intelligently and practice, practice, practice. Technically, Virtua Fighter was responsible for Shenmue, as it was initially planned as a Virtua Fighter RPG. To date, no other 3D fighter has equaled VF in terms of difficulty and depth.

When Gordon Freeman shot up the PC scene in 1998, he proved the First-Person Shooter genre could consist of more than mindless running-and-gunning. Half-Life's variety of gameplay mechanics and disregard for genre conventions revolutionized the single-player FPS experience, while Counter Strike and Team Fortress did the same for multiplayer. The latter extensions of the franchise were excellent fodder for the homebrew/modding community. Half-Life 2 continued Valve's standard of excellence, and now the Episodes are making strides in episodic gaming, giving us a new way to consume videogames. The newest addition to the Half-Life family, Portal, looks to extend the franchise even further, and should provide gameplay possibilities never seen before.

Donkey Kong has always walked a fine line between a life of crime and a life of do-goodery. Originally catching the public eye in 1982 for kidnapping a certain plumber's girlfriend, an apparently reformed DK then devoted his time to helping children learn math. The 90's saw the big ape return with a serious makeover for the Donkey Kong Country series, and he's always up for a friendly game of soccer/golf/baseball/tennis/kart racing/boardgaming/basketball. Apparently tormented by inner demons, the big ape often finds himself engaged yet again in criminal activities, as in the Mario vs. Donkey Kong handheld series.

Deceptive in its simplicity, Tetris became a phenomenon. Though at first glance, Tetris sequels appear as little more than polished ports of the original. While that may be partially true, the little variations created new strategies for one of the most addictive games ever made. Take Tetris Attack, which offered multiplayer competition. It may not seem like much, but it helped to fuel not only the continuation of the Tetris franchise, but inspired new pule games for years to come.

Westwood Studios' Dune II really broke the real-time strategy genre out into the gaming spotlight but their next series, Command & Conquer, helped give the genre the charmed existence it lives today. Modern weaponry mixed with futuristic designs to create an exciting theater for gaming. One of the most interesting thing about the franchise is its diversion into three unique universes. Tiberium is set in a world ravaged by an alien substance and religious fanatics, Red Alert brought megalomaniacal villains into a wildly imaginative modern sci-fi combat setting, and Generals rounded the franchise out with the most "realistic" take on combat. Also fondly remembered are the corny live-action cutscenes from Tiberium and Red Alert. If it wasn't for the disappointing Command & Conquer: Renegade first-person shooter, the franchise would have a clean sweep with some superb real-time strategy titles.

When Mega Man showed up in 1987, he introduced a new play mechanic that allowed players to tackle the game's levels in whatever order their little hearts desired. Up until then, games were dictatorships that forced players to progress in a rigid, pre-determined fashion. The series took this play mechanic and ran with it for two decades (much to the delight/chagrin of gamers, depending on who you talk to). Today the Mega Man franchise is still going strong, though it has evolved past its original design and introduced a slew of new characters to share the spotlight with the Blue Bomber.

The early '90s saw the introduction of one of gaming's most enduring icons, Sonic the Hedgehog. Star of more cartoons than any videogame character ever, Sonic was once more recognized worldwide than Mickey Mouse. Designed to be the complete antithesis of Nintendo's happy-go-lucky Mario, Sonic was the epitome of a '90s-era bad-ass, right down to his red sneakers and smug 'tude. The 2D Sonic games were hugely popular due to their incredible sense of speed and open-ended levels. Although recent 3D entries in the series have been somewhat lacking, there is no denying the power of this franchise.

While many out there may not quite consider this an actual franchise per se, the Chrono games made our list based purely on the indisputable quality of the original SNES game. Considered by many to be the pinnacle of 2D RPG gaming, Chrono Trigger was widely beloved due to its quirky characters, deep gameplay, and engrossing storyline. Despite having only two RPG games released (along with racing and music spin-offs), this franchise still has the power to lure in gamers everywhere. Back in 2001, Square registered a trademark for "Chrono Break," and rabid Chrono fans worldwide went into a tiy. In spite of this furor over a possible sequel, plans for the game were eventually scrapped leaving despondent Chrono Trigger fans with nothing to look forward to in their lives.

Pokemon is one of the rare videogame franchises that has grown beyond the world of gaming to incorporate movies, cartoons, card games, and the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. The brainchild of Nintendo's Satoshi Tajiri, the series capitalizes on kids' obsession with collecting and trading crap. Almost single-handedly keeping Nintendo afloat in the late 90's, Pokemon could also be described as a money-printing service that assures Nintendo will always be in the black (even when it's in third-place in terms of market share). Of course, the basic gameplay premise boasts solid, addictive play mechanics, and several of the handheld RPGs deserve to be in every gamer's collection. Hey You, Pikachu!: not so much.

Tom Clancy is the true king of all entertainment media. After numerous best-selling novels, the Clancy franchise spread to movie theatres. Even before Harrison Ford was done kicking ass as Jack Ryan, Clancy games were making headway in the videogame world. From Splinter Cell to Ghost Recon to Rainbow Six, the Tom Clancy brand is responsible for some of the best action games of the past decade. Each year, at least three new Clancy games can be expected to hit the market and almost all become critical and commercial successes. The Tom Clancy series is a franchise that should stay strong throughout the next generation of gaming consoles.